Late Night Visit
by unbroken.dreams
Summary: Sets a couple of hours after 2x12. Ruby is closing up Grannys, as a last-minute-costumer arrives... (Frankenwolf Oneshot!)


**A/N: This is my first Fanfiction in YEARS but the Frankenwolf-Ship hit me so hard out of nowhere that I didn't have a choice but to write about them. I hope you like it! Please R&R!**

* * *

If he said he didn't know what he was doing here he'd be lying. He knew exactly what he was doing here, but he wasn't sure how SHE would react. SHE was Ruby, former Red Riding Hood who was also the Big Bad Wolf. Fairytales tought you nothing. Neither did Frankenstein-Movies... The people in this world knew nothing. But as long as they could send a _ping_ from Australia and _got_ a pong back from Island they were happy.

He got to Grannys, Hands in his Coat and thinking about turning around. It didn't take long and someone else made the decision for him – or something else; it started to rain. Whale ran towards the diner, but stopped right before it. It was very late – or very soon... either way, Ruby was closing it up. He just stood there and watched her cleaning the tables, completely forgetting about the rain, which soaked all of this clothes. It wasn't after he got really cold, until he knocked on the door.

Ruby turned around and looked at him in surprise. He felt insecure, which wasn't something he was used to. He shouldn't have come, he knew that now, as he looked into her eyes. But than, finally, she started moving towards him, unlocked the door and opened it. „Dr. Whale... what are you doing out here? It's raining buckets! Come on in."

Whale nodded with a thankful smile. „It wasn't raining until a couple of minutes ago."

„Yeah, well, it is now. Take off your coat!" Ruby didn't even ask, she just took his coat. Whale couldn't help to think that she would have ripped it off, if he hadn't voluntarily given it to her. She layed the coat over one of the chairs and than took a look at him again. „So what now? You failed drowning yourself and now you're trying to catch a deadly cold? - Sit!" As she told him to sit down at the counter she herself got behind it at re-started the coffee machine.

„I'm not." he said as the sat down and watched her making him coffee, or at least he thought that was what she was doing. „I was just wandering in the streets and it started raining."

Ruby was shocked. „You wandered in the streets? With Regina AND Cora on the lose? Are you crazy?"

He smiled but it had something sad. „You're talking to the man who tried to raise the dead."

„So? You're talking to the girl who, at fullmoon, used to ate people. Besides", sie put a cup with hot coco in front of him. „I thought we were past depression and back to trying to fix things?"

Whale looked confused at the coco and back to Ruby. Before he could ask she said: „Don't puppy-look me. It's 2 a.m., you're not getting coffee."

She had a point. Decaf didn't taste good at all. He exhaled. „Thank you. And... you're right. I AM past depression. But YOU really need to start listening to people when they tell you they're not trying to kill themselfes."

Ruby tried to hold back a smile but failed. When she replied she had the most stunning one on her lips. „Well YOU need to stop acting like you were." She was so beautiful. Why did people think of Snow White as the fairest of them all? He disagreed. As soon as he realized he was staring he looked at his coco and took the cup into his hands to keep himself busy.

„I'll do my best." he replied.

As he drank some of his coco Ruby asked „Why are you here?" It wasn't the first time she asked this question tonight, but this time she really wanted an answer, he could tell.

He was silent for a while, put his cup back on the counter and didn't look at her as he said: „You saved me tonight."

„I know. We've been over this... it was very close. I would have really hated to jump into the cold water to fish you out." Ruby knew what he was talking about, he was sure, she just didn't go for it at first.

That was why he didn't say 'Not that', but: „I was going to let him die."

This time Ruby didn't reply. She just looked at him and as he turned towards her their eyes met. „You saved me from letting me become the monster."

Ruby took a deep breath. „Sometimes we need help controlling the monster. A while ago I was just where you were... on the edge of losing myself. Become the monster again. Even though I didn't want to." A sad smile came to her face. „A friend helped me remember who I am. It's okay, to need help. The only thing that really matters... is that you make the right choice in the end. And whoever helped..." she shrug her shoulders. „That's not important."

„It is to me." he said. „Ever since we got our memories back I felt like an outsider in this town. I'm not from the Enchanted Forest like everyone else. No one knows my story. All they know is what they've seen in Frankenstein-Movies, which are not even close to the truth. People just think I'm a pervert who slept with David's wife and enjoys raising the dead in his spare time. I didn't think anyone would ever help me." He lowered his head. „And I know you only did it to save that man's life. But still..." He looked at her. „Thank you. Again."

Ruby looked at him in sadness. She leaned over the counter and took one of his hands into hers. „Saving his life what the reason I came after you. But I found another one, that was just as important as saving a life: Saving three lives."

Whale frowned. „Three?"

„Well. The driver. You. - And me." Whale was confused. Ruby probably saw that, which was why she added: „I... haven't told anyone what I've told you. Killing... EATING Peter..." that word was still freaking him out, he couldn't help it. „Granny and Mary-Margaret know because they were there. And I'm guessing she told David, but... no one else knows. It felt... surprisingly good talking about it. Releaving. But I don't think I could have told anyone else." She frowned. „Come to think of it... I didn't save those three lives. You saved one of them."

They looked at each other for a while and Whale was still trying to figure out what her last words meant (it couldn't possibly be like it sounded, right?) when she took her hands back and cleared her throat and put on an insecure smile. „Anyway..." It was one of those 'Anyways' that simply didn't have a rest of a sentece.

After a while she said: „You should really get out of those clothes, you know. We still have a lot of rooms available... shocking, I know, since Storybrooke had exactly two vistors in 28 years." Whale smiled. She could probably always make him smile, no matter what. „You can stay in one of them, if you'd like. You can take a shower and I will put those clothes in the dryer, hoping it can put up with it's name."

„Okay... just one question: Why do you hate my suit?" he smiled, but it was true. A dryer would kill it.

„It's either a ruined suit, or walking home in a towel tomorrow." Ruby pointed out and smirked.

Whale looked troubled for a moment. „Wow, tough choice... I will have to think about that."

Ruby laughed. „Okay, but can you do that while I'm showing you to your room?"

He nodded. „I guess we'll just have to try and see."

* * *

„This isn't so bad." Ruby said as she pulled the suit out of the dryer. Whale had been overdoing his suit being ruined. It was around 3.30 a.m. now and Ruby was starting to get tired. She would bring him the suit, rub the fact, that it's still in one piece under his nose, and go to sleep. Yes, that was a good plan. Better than telling him that he was the only person she could tell her darkest secrets to, anyway... Seriously, what had she been thinking? He probably thought she had a crush on him now.

But would he be wrong? To be honest, Ruby hadn't thought much about Whale that didn't involve the words pervert or doctor. But things had changed tonight. She had seen another side of him. One that wasn't pervert but very adorable and one that was so much more than just a doctor. A brilliant doctor. A life saviour. He must have still been a little drunk when he performed the operation and he still did it... he saved that man's life and just by existing he saved a part of her as well.

Ruby had no explanation why of all people he was the one she could be so honest with and at the same time not being ashamed for it. She had always felt so guilty and so ashamed for what she's done. Snow and Granny had always accepted her for who and what she was, but that wasn't the same. They were her best friend and her grandmother. Whale on the other hand was... a complete stranger, so to speak. Technically she'd known him for 28 years but... that hasn't really been him. And still they'd been flirting. But that hadn't meant anything, Ruby had been flirting with a lof of guys. And Whale had been THE womanizer in town. But nothing had ever happened between them. Not even a kiss.

And she SO wasn't thinking about that as she got up the stairs and knocked at the door. She heard him yelling „It's open" got in and closed the door behind herself.

„I got your suit", she yelled a bit herself, because she could hear the water running. He was still under the shower.

„Oh yeah? How is it?" he asked, while Ruby noticed that the door to the bathroom was open just a little bit.

„Well, it's still a suit, if that's what you mean." she swallowed as she couldn't take her eyes off the open door, wondering, if it was enough to see anything. Not that she would... try. Or anything. „Our dryer seems to like you and doesn't want to see you get hurt." she added while throwing the suit on the bed and moving juuuuust a little bit towards the bathroom door.

Whale turned off the water and laughed. „Remind me to get him a christmas present this year."

„He will be so pleased."

As she reached the gap Whale already opened the door and stood directly in front of her – dressed in a towel. Ruby froze. Ups...

Whale seemed just as surprised to see Ruby in front of the door, as she was, to see him here so quickly. „Uh... I was just checking..."

„... me out?" he added and Ruby took a short laughter.

„That would be a no."

„Than what were you doing in front of the bathroom door?"

„What were YOU doing leaving it open?"

„I tried closing it. It didn't stay."

„Oh. Well... I'll report that to Granny. And for the record... I was on my way into the room. The bathroom just happens to be on the way."

He looked at her as if he was searching for something and when he looked away she actually WAS checking him out for a second, before he looked at her again and hers went straight back to his eyes.

„Than why is my suit already on the bed?"

Damn it! „Out. I was on my way... out. Which I am going to continue now, because I'm very tired and need to sleep. Good night."

She walked past him, but he was at the door before she was and blocked her way. „What?" she asked.

He seemed troubled. „You asked me why I came here, tonight. I didn't quite tell you the truth."

Ruby looked at him in surprise and felt her heart beating faster. Her instincts told her that something big was about to happen and she couldn't move. Plus, she didn't really want to. „Why did you come here?" she asked again and wanted... needed to know this answer more than anything now.

It took him a while to answer – she was already that he made the dramatic pause to tourture her – and it got to a point where she couldn't wait anymore. „You can tell me."

He shook his head. „No, I can't." Ruby lowered her head in disappointment, but he put his finger on her chin, causing her to look up again. „But I can show you."

And than it happened. It was as if her heart stopped beating when she realized he leaned towards her and felt his lips on hers. For a moment she couldn't do anything. Neither kissing him back, nor pushing him away or even closing her eyes. She felt like the world froze and she right along with it. All she felt was a fuzzy warm feeling inside her stomach which spread through her entire body within no time. When she finally managed to close her eyes and kiss him back she felt her knees getting weak. She hadn't felt like that since... Ruby didn't think she EVER felt like that when kissing someone. Even Peter.

It wasn't until the kiss stopped, when she felt her heart beating and started breating again. She looked at him and didn't know what to say. He took one of his hands and ran it over her cheek and through her hair. „I was always better in acting than talking."

Ruby laughed. „I don't understand." she said. „When did this happen?" She didn't just mean his feelings, but also hers. Yesterday he was nothing but the Doctor to her. Now she could barely stand the fact that he was still wearing a towel.

„Probably around the time with the multiple life-savings." he guessed and smiled, leaning down, kissing her again. This time his lips wandered from her lips, over her cheack, towards her neck. Ruby closed her eyes and moaned as he did so. Boy he was good at this.

When he stopped the looked at him in confusement, but he only did so he could lock the door. „Dr. Whale... what exactly do you think is going to happen here?" she asked playfully, huddled against him and intersected her hands arms behind his neck.

„It's Victor." was all he said as he put his arms around her waist, liftet her up and spinned both of them around, which caused Ruby to laugh. They both fell on the bed and looked at each other for a beautiful endless moment.

Ruby gently stroked his cheek as she looked into his eyes, before they sunk into another kiss. Knowing, that this was it. No one and nothing else mattered. Tonight it was just the two one them. No issues, no drama, no monsters. Simply themselfes.

Together.


End file.
